(Tim) Lisante is the superintendent of New York City’s District 79, which consists of over 14,000 students who have fallen behind in high school, been involved in the criminal justice system, or who have special needs such as drug treatment, job training or child care.
Lisante said he is especially focused on the formerly incarcerated youth he first saw when he started as assistant principal — because they often need the most help.
New York has come under scrutiny for how it treats youth in the criminal justice system. It is one of two states nationwide that still prosecutes all youth as adults when they turn 16, though legislators are engaged in a battle this year to change that. A 2014 report by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara found a “deep-seated culture of violence” at the adolescent facilities on Rikers Island, and the city proposed a plan to move 16- and 17-year olds from the island to a facility in the Bronx.
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